The German former motor racing driver turned 50 yesterday, and the occasion also saw the release by his family of a rare public statement – although no details were provided about his current condition. The seven-times Forumla 1 champion was badly hurt after a tragic skiing accident in the French Alps on December 29, 2013, with one of his rescuers, Stephane Bozon, last month revealing the German had been slightly “off-piste” – in other words, outside the prepared area of the slope – at the time of the accident, and had hit his head on a rock. The new app, which is available to download on both iOS and Android devices, has been unveiled alongside at exhibition at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello in Italy, which hosts some of the racing cars driver by Schumacher when he was with the team, with whom he won five of his seven titles.
The exhibition has been created in partnership with the Keep Fighting Foundation – a charity which was created to “channel the positive energy received by Michael Schumacher and the Schumacher family as a force for good in the world in achieving cultural and social benefit.”
Son Mick, who followed his father into motorsport, promoted the app and encouraged his Twitter followers to “have fun with it”.
Meanwhile, daughter Gina wished her father a happy birthday on Instagram with pictures from his glory days captioned “to the best dad”.
During an unparalleled career, Schumacher smashed numerous records, including most Grand Prix wins (91), most fastest laps (77) and most races won in a single season (13).
Formula1.com rates him as “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen.”
Ever since his accident, Schumacher has been receiving specialist treatment at his home in Switzerland, but the precise nature of his injuries has never been revealed.
However, after the accident Professor Stephano Charades said he had operated to removed hematomas from his brain, and Schumacher was placed in an induced coma for six months after the accident.
Schumacher’s family, including wife Corinna, remains fiercely protective of him, and have rarely spoken publicly about him, so little is known about his current state, whether he can walk or even whether he is conscious.
Their public statement, issued on Facebook, said Schumacher was in the “very best of hands”.
They stressed that “everything humanely possible” was being done to help his recovery.
It added: “Please understand we are following Michael’s wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy.
“At the same time, we say thank you very much for your friendship and wish you a healthy and happy year 2019.”
A further statement from the family added: “We are very happy to celebrate Michael’s 50th birthday together with you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts that we can do this together.
As a gift to him, you and us, Keep Fighting Foundation has created a virtual museum.”
The app features extensive details about his father’s glittering career, as well as stats about his podium finishes and the various cars he drove.
To download it, click here